Southern Utah University student tests positive for COVID-19

The Old Main on the Southern Utah University campus, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 17, 2019 | File photo by Reuben Wadsworth, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University released a statement Friday informing community members that a student has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The student that tested positive for COVID-19 was not an international student or a participant in the Jumpstart class that studied abroad in Italy, according to the statement. The student had not traveled recently and contracted the virus through community spread.

The student has been placed in quarantine per federal, state and local guidelines, and is recovering from home.

The other eight cases that have been confirmed in Iron County are not related to the university, according to the statement.

SUU Director of Public Relations David Bishop said the university was made aware of the student’s positive test and wanted to notify the campus community.

“When we were informed, we informed our campus community,” Bishop said. “We wanted campus to know that someone who’s associated with the university was diagnosed with the virus. They deserve to know.”

Bishop added that the university is taking all possible precautions concerning the virus.

“We’ve gone to online classes, we’ve encouraged our students who are staying in student housing to go home if that’s possible and have pretty much shut down campus,” Bishop said. “Most of our employees, if not all, are working remotely. We’re just doing everything we can to try and prevent the spread of the virus on our campus.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then attended Southern Utah University in Cedar City. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and an associate degree in equine studies. Kelsey served as a copy editor for the SUU Journal for one year and as the senior reporter for the Iron County Today before joining Cedar City News. She enjoys helping out with her family’s ranch in Hatch, petting every dog within reach and all things zebra-striped. When she’s not writing articles, Kelsey can be found spending time with her family or curled up with a good book and her Norwich terrier mix, Scout.